Tobacco hanging and hoisting apparatus.



O. GATES. TOBACCO HANGING AND HOISTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 1211.21, 1910. RENEWED 111:0. 12, 1911.

- Patented Jan 23, 1912.

2 sums-sum 1.

0. GATES.

TOBAGGO HANGING AND HOISTING APPARATUS. v AEPLICATIOK FILED APB..21, 1910. RENEWED DEC. 12, 1911. 1,015,553. Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

um/whoa 0; flutes COLUMB 2A PLANUGRAPH cu..\\'Ash|NGTON. D. c

Wi/Cucooco OLUS GATES, OF MARTIN, TENNESSEE.

TOBACCO HANGING AND I-IOIS'I'ING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

Application filed April 21, 1910, Serial No. 556,778. Renewed December 12, 1911. Serial No. 665,377.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLUS GATES, citizen of the United States, residing at Martin, in the county of Weakley and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco Hanging and Hoisting Apparatuses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for hoisting a plurality of tobacco carrying sticks in a loft and hanging the sticks in placeupon supporting beams.

The general ob ect of my invention is to provide an elevating and hanging device of such character that it may be easily put in place within a store-house and may then be operated from the ground to hoist up a plurality of sticks with leaf tobacco hanging thereon and hang the uppermost of these sticks upon the cross beams at the upper portion of the storehouse, thus dispensing with the use of scaffolds and the necessity of employing a number of men for the purpose of hanging the sticks in place.

A further object of the invention is to provide an elevating and hanging device of the character before referred to having spacing gages whereby the tobacco supporting sticks may be spaced from each other a proper distance apart and with regularity not obtainable by hand without great care.

The apparatus includes a telescopic support or standard which may be raised to any desired height within the store-house and which is provided with hooks for engaging the uppermost of a line of sticks supported one from the other upon which the tobacco is hung, provision being made whereby this hoisting device may be centered in place accurately between the beams, and whereby it may be easily passed up between .the beams and then turned into proper position.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my hoisting apparatus. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one end of the guiding cross-bar 23. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the action of the spacing or gaging hook 29. Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the lengths of wire used for susin all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to these figures,2designates the lower section of a standard or support, of

any suitable material, and which is prefer- I ably provided at its bottom with the hinged base 3 connected to the support by hooked links or braces 4. Slidably mounted upon the section 2 of the standard is the movable section 5. This consists of an upright preferably of wood of the same size and'material as the section 2, which at its lower end has a collar or guide'6 which is attached to the lower end of the section 5, and embraces or partly embraces the section 2. The upper end of the section 2 is provided with a collar or guide 7 which embraces or partly embraces the section 5. Thus the section 5 may have a sliding movement upon the section 2 so that the standard as a whole may be raised or lowered to suit any particular store-house in which it is to be used. In order to provide for the raising and lowering of the standard I attach a lifting cord 8 to the lower end of the movable section5 and preferably to the collar 6, which cord passes over a pulley 9 supported upon the upper end of the standard 2, preferably on the face of the collar or guide 7. The free end of the rope 8 may be connected and held upon the standard 2 in any desired manner, as by a cleat or other rope engaging'device.

The upper end of the standard 5 carries upon it a pulley 10, over which passes a rope 11, which extends down to a Windlass 12 mounted in brackets 13 projecting from the lower section 2. This Windlass 12 is provided with a crank 14 and may be also provided with a head 14 for the attachment of another crank, not shown. A pawl 15 is mounted on one of the brackets supporting the Windlass and adapted to engage a ratchet aWhen the arm 20 is turned in one position,

the eccentric will jam against the face of the section 5 clamping the two sections 2 and 5 together in their adjusted relation.

Pivotally supported upon the face of the section 5 is a cross-bar 23, which at its end is provided with pivoted terminations or latches 24, so arranged that though they can move downward they cannot move upward beyond a position of alinement with the cross bar 23. The purpose of the latches 24 is to allow the cross bar to pass between the tier beams without turning sidewise or having to be turned up to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. With my construction by raising the cross bar from the tier beams and releasing the latches by loosening the rope 24 the outer end of the latches being heavy drop down, thus permitting the head to be turned down between the poles when the barn or warehouse is filled without having to twist or turn theapparatus, which would be impossible as the distance between the last two of the tobacco sticks would only be from six to ten inches. By pulling down on and fastening said rope 24 the latches may be extended and overlapped onto the tier beams. The rope 24 is never used except to get the apparatus out after each tier has been filled and when the roof is so close that the cross bar and frame cannot be tilted. The rope 24 is fastened at both ends to the oppositely disposed latches 24 and the middle of the rope may be drawn down and fastened tight enough to hold the latches in proper position for hanging the apparatus onto the poles.

The extremities of the cross bar 23 are connected to downwardly and inwardly extending bars 25 which in turn at their ends are connected to a slightly bowed cross bar 26 formed with a notch 27 in its middle. Mounted upon the face of the section 5 in position to engage the notch 27 is a bolt or like latching device 28, which, when the cross bar 23 is horizontally disposed, will engage the notch 27 and hold the cross bar firmly at right angles with the uprights or standards. hereinafter described, would not work if one end of the cross bar be elevated above the other. In placing the apparatus in position, these gages 29 do not drop below the level of the cross bar and so the cross bar The spacing gages 29, to be when hung on the tier beams must be horizontal. The inclined braces 25 on each end of the cross bar act to center it with relation to the tier beams.

Pivotally mounted upon the cross bar 23 are a plurality of gages 29, these gages preferably consisting each of a metallic arm pivoted at one end in ears upon the cross bar 23 and at the other end downwardly turned or bent as at 30' (see Fig. 5). The

middle of each gage is formed with the .pro jecting tooth 30*, the inner face of which is beams when it is desired to use the apparatus simply as ahoisting device and without regard to placing the tiers of tobacco in regular order. The device is hung upon the tier beams B by the hooks 31, the tobacco stick flsupporting member 18 being parallel'with the tier beams. The tobacco sticks 32 may then be supported on the hooks 19 and the .supporting member 18 raised to anv height desired and the tobacco sticks taken off therefrom by hand.

The supports for leaves of tobacco comprises a plurality of parallel sticks 32 which are hung from each other, or connected to each other by means of lengths of wire 33,

each of which is provided with the elongated loops 34 at its ends. The loops 34 at the ends of the wires are approximately diamond shaped, and therefore when the tobacco stick is loaded with tobacco the weight thereof will tend to compress these loops into the corners of the sticks, which sticks being preferably square are thus indented. Thus the wires cannot possibly slip. The same operation of course will take place when the sticks are notched, but by forming the wires with diamond shaped loops, there is no necessity of the notches. Upon each of the sticks 32 the tobacco indicated by the charac-' ter A is to be supported in the manner usual in drying tobacco. Preferably the wires on each alternate stick of all the uppermost sticks are just half as long as the wires of the next adjacent stick. This would throw each set of sticks alternately lower or higher than the adjacent sticks, and thus the heavy portion of the stalks on each stick will be alternately lower and higher than those on the next tier, thus allowing the sticks to be placed more closely together and still have plenty of room for the circulation of heat and air in drying. It will be seen furthermore that by arranging these sticks in alternate or staggard relation that a'better circulation of air is secured.

The operation of my device is as follows :The hoisting apparatus is placed in position within a tobacco drying barn or storehouse, this barn being provided with a plurality of tier beams B upon which the to bacco supporting sticks are to be hung. The apparatus is placed between a pair of tier beams and at one end of the barn. Before the'first series of tobacco sticks are hung it is necessary to place a false stick across the pair of tier beams, this false stick being placed at one end of the barn and not supporting any tobacco. After the false stick is in place, the upper end of the standard is raised until the cross bar 23 is carried above the beams B. The'operator then lowers the cross bar 23 until it rests securely upon the beams B in a position shown in Fig. 2. In this position, the gages 29 will be lowered into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and the hooks 30 at the end of the gages will just engage over the false stick. The teeth 30 will then occupy the position to be taken by the next tobacco supporting stick to be placed. tion as above described, a tobacco stick 32 is placed upon the hooks 19 and a length of wire 33 is attached to each end of the stick 32 and depends therefrom. The tobacco stick supporting member 18 is then raised a suitable distance and a new stick 32is inserted in the loops at the ends of the first length of wires. The tobacco is hung upon the lowermost stick 32 and the stick supporting member 18 again raised untilit is possible to attach another pair of wires 33 and a new tobacco stick. When the stick supporting member 18 carrying the uppermost tobacco stick 32 is raised above the beams B it contacts with the gages 29 and as it is carried up it raises these gages to a position shown in Fig. 5. The supporting member 18 and the uppermost stick 32 carried thereon are raised until the supporting member 18 passes the teeth 30 on the gages 29. The supporting member is then lowered. As the supporting member is lowered. the gages 29 will move downward and the teeth 30 engaging with the supporting member 18 will shift it outward into proper relation to the next adjacent tobacco stick 32 (or to the false stick if the beams B are just being filled). As the supporting member 18 is lowered below the level of the tier beams, the uppermost tobacco stick, which is longer than the supporting member 18 and longer than the space between the tier beams, will be left supported on the tier beams, while the supporting member 18 will move downward into position to receive another series or tier of tobacco sticks. During the hoisting operation just described, the apparatus is entirely supported upon the beams B by After it has been placed in posi-- means of the cross bar 23. After one tier of tobacco sticks has been hung the apparatus is allowed to rest upon its base 3 and the upper section of the apparatus with the cross head is hoisted from the tier beams by means of the rope 8 and pulley 7. The upper portion of the apparatus is then pulled back until the terminal hooks on the spacing gages 29 catch over the last stick hung, then the bottom section of the apparatus is raised and the lower end of the apparatus pulled back so that the standard is vertical. When the standard is vertical the lower section 2 is raised with relation to the upper section so that the apparatus is supported upon the upper section and upon the cross bar 23, after which the operation is repeated. This operation is repeated for each series of tobacco sticks until the space between the parallel beams is entirely filled with tobacco. After the tobacco has been dried, and in order to take down the tiers of supporting rods, the apparatus is placed in the proper position, as before described, and the tobacco stick supporting member 18 drawn up until the hook 19 raises the uppermost stick or cross rod 23 from the beams high enough to permit of the uppermost stick being drawn diagonally downward to permit the stick to pass between the beams. After it has been passed below the beams it is lowered by the Windlass and each stick taken off as it comes in reach of the operator.

The tobacco sticks 32 upon which the tobacco is strung lap onto the tier beams B about two inches, and the sticks are provided with notches as previously stated, about this distance from each end into which the loops on the wires fit so that they hoisting rope supported on the standard, a

tobacco stick supporting member attached to the free end of the hoisting rope, hooks projecting from the supporting member and adapted to engage a tobacco carrying stick, and a centering device carried upon the upper end of the standard and having downwardly and inwardly inclined sides adapted to engage with the tier beams of a tobacco barn.

2. In a device for hanging tobacco, a standard having a pulley at its upper end, a

rope passing over said pulley and carrying a tobacco stick supporting member at its free end, said supporting member being provided with spaced hooks, a centering bar pivoted to the face of the standard below the pulley thereof, and downwardly and inwardly inclined guide bars attached to the ends of said centering bar.

3. A tobacco hanging device comprising a standard mounted on a base and having a pulley at its upper end, a hoisting rope passing over the pulley, a tobacco stick supporting means attached to the free end of the hoisting rope, a centering bar pivoted to the face of the standard below the pulley thereof and having downwardly and inwardly extending guide bars attached to its ends, the extremity .of the centering bar being provided with pivoted terminal members.

4. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a base and a standard formed in two sections sliding upon each other, the lower section being hinged to the base, guides on each of said sections slidably engaging the other section, means for raising the upper section relatively to the lower section and holding it from any adjusted position, a pulley on the end of the upper section, a hoisting rope passing over the pulley, a transversely extending tobacco stick supporting member on the free end of the hoisting rope, a centering bar pivoted to the face of the upper section of the standard below the pulley, downwardly and inwardly extending guides on the centering bar, and a latch for holding the centering bar in a horizontal position.

5. The combination with tobacco supporting devices, consisting of a series of transverse supportin sticks and oppositely disposed connecting wires between the supporting sticks, of a hoisting device therefor consisting of a standard formed of upper and lower sections, one vertically adjustable upon the other, a pulley at the upper end of the upper section of the standard, means for engaging the sections with each other in any adjusted position, a Windlass mounted on the lower section, a hoisting rope pass ing over the pulley and connected to the Windlass, a tobacco stick supporting member on the free end of the hoisting rope provided with spaced hooks adapted to engage a tobacco supporting stick, and a centering device mounted upon the face of the upperv most section of the standard and having downwardly and inwardly extending guides adapted to engage between the tier beams and a tobacco warehouse.

6. A tobacco hanging device of the character described, comprising an extensible standard, a hoisting rope supported thereon, means for engaging tobacco supporting sticks, said means being carried upon the free end of the hoisting rope, a cross bar supported on said standard and adapted to engage over adjacent tier beams of a warehouse, and gaging members pivoted to said cross bar for movement in planes at right angles to the rod, said gaging members each having a projecting tooth adapted to engage with a tobacco carrying stick as the stick is hoisted and move it into proper spaced relation with the tobacco carrying stick previously deposited upon the tier beams.

7. A tobacco hoisting device of the character described, including a standard adapted to be placed between the tier beams of a tobacco barn, a hoisting rope supported on said standard, a tobacco stick supporting member attached to the hoisting rope and having projecting hooks adapted to engage a tobacco carrying stick, a transverse stand-' ard supporting bar on the upper end of the standard for engaging over adjacent tier beams, and gaging members pivoted to the supporting bar and movable in planes at right angles to the bar, each member being outwardly projecting tenminal latches, said latches being movable downwardbut being prevented from any upward movement be yond a position of alinement with the bar and adapted to rest upon the tier beams of a tobacco barn, downwardly inclined guide bars attached to said supporting bar and acting to center the standard between adjacent tier beams, a hoisting rope supported on the standard, a tobacco stick supporting member attached at its middle to the free end of the hoisting rope and having means thereon for supporting the tobacco carrying stick, and connections attached to the pivoted terminations of the supporting bar whereby they may be held in alinement with the bar. 7

9. In a device for hanging tobacco, a standard having a pulley at its upper end, a rope passing over the pulley and a transversely extending tobacco stick supporting member attached to the end of the rope and provided with supporting hooks, a standard supporting bar pivoted to the upper end of the standard and adapted to rest upon the tier beams of a tobacco barn to support the standard thereon, downwardly and inwardly inclined guide bars attached to the ends of the supporting bar and connected at their lower ends to each other, means for locking said supporting bar from any movement upon its pivot, and oppositely disposed gages pivotally mounted upon the supporting bar and extending at right angles thereto over the stick supporting member, said gages being hooked at their ends and being provided intermediate of their ends with inwardly projecting teeth, the teeth being inclined toward the pivoted ends of the gages.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, a standard, a cross bar supported on the standard and adapted to engage over adjacent tier beams, means on the standard for hoisting tobacco supporting sticks, and pivoted gages mounted on the cross bar and extending at right angles thereto for gaging the distance between the said cross bar and a tobacco stick.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, a standard, a transverse bar mounted upon the upper end of the standard and adapted to extend across the space between adjacent tier beams, a hoisting rope on the standard, a tobacco stick supporting member carried by the rope, and gages pivotally mounted upon the transverse bar and extending at right angles thereto and in the path of movement of the tobacco stick supporting member, said gages being provided with means whereby they may engage the stick supporting member and shift it into spaced relation to the standard.

12. In a device of the character described, a transverse bar adapted to rest upon adj acent tier beams and extend between the same, gages pivoted to said bar and extending at right angles thereto, each gage being provided with a hook at its extremity and a projecting tooth at its middle, and. means for hoisting a tobacco carrying stick upward between the tier beams above the same and into engagement with the gages and lowering the stick upon the tier beams.

13. In a device of the character described, a tobacco stick hoisting means, a cross bar adapted to rest upon two adjacent tier beams -of a tobacco warehouse and extend across the OLUS GATES. [L. s.] Witnesses:

F. J. TAYLOR, T. G. PARRISH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

